Match-safe.



No. 636,946. Patented Nov. I4, I899.

J. BERMAN.

IIATGH SAFE.

(Applicltion am In. 1 1399.

(No Ilod'ul.)

Fig.2.

Fig.1.

V IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIfl/IIIIIIIIA ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIW Witnesse5z AttmRTLE mi NoRms PETERS co PHOTO-LITHO.. w-smr4crom n. cy

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BERMAN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

MATCH-SAFE.

srEcirIcATion formin part of Letters Patent No. 636,946, dated November 14, 1869.

' Application filed June 1-, 1899. Serial No. 718,963. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osEPH BERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Match-Safes, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to that class of match safesknown as single delivery match-safes.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of match-safe adapted to discharge one match at a time and at the moment of such discharge to ignite the match; and the invention consists in certain novel constructive features and combinations of parts, as hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1. is a vertical longitudinal section of my improved match-safe. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of same, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 44. of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a casing, preferably of sheet metal, which in the present instance is mounted on a base A, and said casing comprises two vertical side walls a a and curved front and back walls I) b. A shaft 6 passes through and has bearing inthe side walls, and at one end said shaft carries a ratchet-wheel d and at the opposite end a hand operating-wheel e. A pawl f is pivoted to the side Wall a' and engages the ratchet-Wheel d and prevents the shaft from' being revolved backward. The shaft-c carries two disks g, which arekeyed or otherwise connected with the shaft and revolve therewithin one direction only. These disks in the present instance are each provided on their circumference with four notches h; but a more or less number of notches may beemployed, and the notches in one disk are in the same horizontal plane with or directly opposite the notches in the other disks. A match will be carried by corresponding notches in the two disks.

At the top of the casing A is a hopper I, which contains the matches j, and said hopper is provided with a cover i. The lower end 2" of the back wall of the hopper projects down between the said two disks and insures that the matches will lodge on the rims of the two disks, without liability of the matches wedging between the disks and the curved the other ends of said springs are free and hang pendent between the two disks g. An igniting spring-plate 1 has position between one of the disks 9 and the side wall a and is secured at one end to the said side wall,and the lower end of said spring-plate is free. A screw m passes through a threaded hole in the side wall a, and the end of said screw takes freely into the free end of the igniting-plate. By this construction it will be seen that by turning the screw or the igniting-plate Z may be adjusted or moved closer to or farther away from said disk.

In the present instance two vertical curved hook-shaped receiving-arms 'n, are mounted on the base A, and an upper prong n of each of said'cnrved hook-arms projects between the two disks 9 and just above the lower ends of the pendent springs k. The base A rests in a dish-shaped receptacle or tray 0, and a pivot-pin p, suitably secured to said tray, projects through a hole q in thensaid base and permits the base and machine to revolve in a horizontal plane around said pin without disturbing the stationary tray.

The operation of the machine is simple and is as follows: Matches are first placed in the hopper with their'heads all pointing toward the side wall a and resting on the rims of the two disks 9. One of the matches will immediately take in the notches h 'of the disks. By means of the screw m the igniting-plate may then be adjusted so that the proper friction is brought to bear on the heads of the matches as they are passed over the plate I. The device is then ready for use. When a lighted match is wanted, the operator will turn the hand-wheel e to revolve the disks g, and the match carried by the notches in the disk will pass under the front wall I) of the hopper toward the delivery part of the machine. As the disks revolve, the pendent springs 70 will press against that portion of the match between the disks and serve to rerain the match in the notches as the head of the match is scraped over the igniting-plate Z, which ignites the match. Now to insure the proper delivery of the match the revolution of the disks is continued until the match is carried down below the ends of the pendent springs and freed from their pressure,whereupon the upper prongs n of the curved hookshaped receiving-arms n take behind the match, and as the revolution of the disks c0n-' tinues releases the match from the notches h and allowsthe match to drop into the crotch of said hook-arms n.

These machines may be placed on a small stand or table where a number of gentlemen are playing a game of amusement, and by revolving the machine on its pivotp it will be equally accessible to persons sitting on opposite sides of the table.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a match-safe the combination of a casing having within two disks revoluble one way only and provided with rim-notches for receiving and carrying a match; a hopper mounted on the case and having the lower end of one of its walls projecting down between the said two disks; an igniter-plate between one of the disks and the wall of the case; two springs hanging pendent between the revoluble disks and spaced apart and retaining the match in the rim-notches while its head is rubbed against the igniter-plate; and two curved hook-arms which project from the base up between the said two disks and take behind the ignited match and release it whereby the operator may readily insert his thumb and finger between the said two hookarms and remove the lighted match.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH HERMAN Witnesses:

THOS. O. BAILEY, CHARLES B. MANN, Jr. 

